


Word Association

by chronicopheliac



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: Developing Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Post-Episode: s03e13 The Wrath of the Lamb, Post-Season/Series 03, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 11:46:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7933429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chronicopheliac/pseuds/chronicopheliac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hannibal and Will play a word association game while stargazing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Word Association

The timer was set to ten minutes. Quality time with no psychoanalyzing, or Dante, or philosophy. Just a simple game. While stargazing on the roof. Will reclined beside Hannibal on a blanket, staring up at the sky. Even in a different hemisphere, the stars reminded him of home.

“Home.” _Wolf Trap._

“Will.”

Will rolled his eyes. “Are you going to take this seriously?”

“I am.”

Not qualifying that with a response. Will continued, “Man.”

“Rude.”

“That was quick.” Will nudged Hannibal’s ribs with his elbow.

Sighing, Hannibal replied, “The point is to say the first thing that comes to mind, isn't it?”

“Right. So... knife?” _Murder._

“Murder.”

A snort. “Bedelia had her work cut out for her, huh?”

“Will, I wish _you_ would take this game seriously.” Hannibal rolled onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow. To anyone else he might look completely serious. Will knew better.

Raising an eyebrow, Will stuck out his tongue. “Dog.” _Family._

“Will.”

“Heh. Okay, I’ll give you that one. Cloud.”

“Rain.”

“Boot.” _I could use it to kick his ass._

“Florence.”

Will looked over at Hannibal. “What?”

“Italy is shaped like a boot, Will.”

“Pfft. Fine then, Florence?” _Regret._

“Despair.”

“Well that's no fun.” On impulse, Will reached out to awkwardly pat Hannibal’s hand, but Hannibal intercepted and laced their fingers together. Will let his arm go limp and looked away. “So uh… Something else. Er. Boat?”

“Will.”

“Is there much that doesn't make you think of me?”

“No.” The word was barely above a whisper, wrought with emotion. Will’s hand twitched. He tightened his grip. His brain was at a full stop, thoughts interrupted by the tightness in his chest. A less… loaded word would be good. Something benign.

“What about… desk?”

“Office.”

“Boring!”

“Frederick.”

Shaking with laughter, Will rolled to mirror Hannibal’s position. He had to free his hand, which left him kind of… cold. “I meant that your answer was boring but that works. Prison.”

“Inconvenient.” Hannibal looked down, drawing circles over the back of Will’s hand. It tickled. He traced a path up and down Will’s forearm. Will followed it with his eyes.

“I'll say.”

“Are you going to wisecrack your way through all of my answers, Will?”

Will grinned. “Probably.”

Hannibal sighed. Put upon. Though his eyes still betrayed affection. He traced his finger up to the scar on Will’s cheek. The one on his forehead.

Shivering, Will met Hannibal’s gaze. “Hmm… scar.” _Teacup._

“Will. Beautiful.”

“That's cheating! It’s supposed to be one word.” A flush coloured Will’s cheeks, despite any effort to calm his beating heart.

“The words are inseparable in my mind.” The tip of Hannibal’s finger still lingered over Will’s face. Tracing over cheekbones, his nose, along his jaw. Will’s lips parted of their own volition.

“Smartass.”

A smile. “Will.”

“Hey!”

“Horse.”

Will playfully smacked Hannibal’s hand away, pinning it down with his own. Running his thumb over tendons and bones. “Who'd have thought that the Chesapeake Ripper was such a dork.”

Pouting, Hannibal eased down onto the blanket, using his arm as a pillow. His other hand was still trapped beneath Will’s, though he turned it palm up, twining their fingers together once more. “I'm not a dork.”

“You totally are.”

“Are we finished with this game now?”

“Nope! There's still two minutes on the clock.” Will inched closer. He brought up their hands to examine them. “Ummm…  fly.”

“Freedom.”

Ouch. “I meant the bug.”

“Pest.” The smile was evident in Hannibal’s tone.

“Me or the bug?”

“Both.”

Laughing, Will laid down to face Hannibal. “Rude!”

“Dinner.” Hannibal smirked.

“You got dinner from rude? Oh, wait. Right. Ugh. What about dinner, then?”

“Date.”

“As in dinner date?”

“Yes.”

“Wait we're still playing right?”

“Of course, there are still thirty seconds.” Hannibal let go of Will’s hand to rest it on Will’s neck.

The temperature was rising.

“U-um. Food.”

“Delicious.” The tip of Hannibal’s nose touched Will’s.

“W-wow, I expected you to say people. Oka~ay... delicious?”

“Will.”

Lips hovered over lips. The hand on Will’s face slid down to his waist. Squeezed.

“Wha--” _Ding!_ “O-oh. Oh. Time's up!”

“So it seems.”

Lips touched lips. Requesting more, seeking, inviting. Pressing firmer. Hannibal urged Will onto his back. Beating a weak fist against Hannibal’s chest was all the fight Will could muster. A token protest.

“How does delicious… Dammit, Hannibal, how many times to I have to remind you that you can’t eat me.”

Hannibal smiled wide, showing teeth. So close he blocked Will’s view of the sky. Emboldened, he let a hand drift down to Will’s ass.

“At least not until after dinner.”

“I’m going to throw you off this roof.” Another token protest. Hannibal kissed him again. Some errant train of thought tells Will he shouldn’t give in so easily. He should make Hannibal work harder for it. He couldn’t muster up the will to fight again.

He kissed back.

Hannibal hummed against Will’s mouth. Laughing. “Later. After dinner.”

Will meant to ask if _this_ was dinner. If Hannibal was making a meal of him. But his words were swallowed by Hannibal’s lips, consumed by a new and delirious hunger. He looked up at the sky as Hannibal nudged his way down to Will’s neck, and thought again of home.

_Home._

_Hannibal._

**Author's Note:**

> [Come flail with me on Tumblr!](http://chronicopheliac.tumblr.com)


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